We’re proud to be one of Chicagoland’s first craft breweries, firing up our first batch of Paddy Pale Ale back in 1996.
We chose the name Wild Onion in honor of the origins of Chicago’s name. “Che-cau-gua” was the phrase the original inhabitants of the region, the Potawatomi, used to describe the wild onions that grew throughout the area’s wetlands near the shores of Lake Michigan. We loved the imagery of the early French Canadian fur traders paddling their canoes down the Chicago River, surrounded by the distinctly aromatic wild onions as they approached the “big lake”. We believed it was the perfect name for a new brewery with old ties to the city.

We’re proud to be one of Chicagoland’s first craft breweries, firing up our first batch of Paddy Pale Ale back in 1996.
We chose the name Wild Onion in honor of the origins of Chicago’s name. “Che-cau-gua” was the phrase the original inhabitants of the region, the Potawatomi, used to describe the wild onions that grew throughout the area’s wetlands near the shores of Lake Michigan. We loved the imagery of the early French Canadian fur traders paddling their canoes down the Chicago River, surrounded by the distinctly aromatic wild onions as they approached the “big lake”. We believed it was the perfect name for a new brewery with old ties to the city.